Perhaps it’s because it’s the smallest of the line-up — and Lord knows, I’m not a fan of small SUVs — that it makes less sense to me than the bigger brothers.

But none of the above matters to the the XC40’s target audience, because none of the above sounds like a criticism to them. And like it or not, once again Volvo has produced a class-leading car.

The Volvo XC60 is the safest car you can buy in 2018 and it got nearly 100% crash test score

Let’s start with the exterior. It’s a museum-worthy love song to Scandi design — all clean lines and shiny smoked glass, a Christmas tree bauble to decorate the driveways of the Home Counties. It somehow manages to look elegant and sturdy simultaneously, like a female bodybuilder draped in Dior.

Unlike the SUV families from rivals such as Beamer and Audi, Volvo has deliberately separated the XC40 from the XC60 and XC90 in terms of looks — which is refreshing. But the interior is probably the star of the show.

Key Facts

VOLVO XC40 D3 FWD

Price: £28,965

Engine: 2.0 litre diesel

Economy: 58.9mpg

0-62mph: 9.8sec

Top speed: 124mph

Leghth: 4.4 metres

CO2: 127g/km

The slightly clinical edge of the outside doesn’t transfer inside. It’s still clean and tidy, but it’s lavished in showhome-quality fabrics and splashes of calming colours.

The seats feel as if they’ve been lifted from the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, and I’ll never get bored of playing with Volvo’s tablet-style centre console.

Five engines are available — two diesel and three petrol — which means there’s something for every budget. The petrol T5 packs a significant wallop, should that be your thing, with a 0-62 time of 6.5 seconds. Road noise is at a minimum and the suspension is tuned to perfection, adjusted via five drive modes, which makes driving the XC40 a pleasant experience.

But it’s pleasant in the same way as afternoon tea at the tennis club — it’s gently predictable.

And predictability is exactly what the darlings of suburbia are in the market for. The pedestrian detection and lane assist systems which come as standard on the XC40 are far more important to them than the ability to achieve lift-off oversteer on the B4450 to Chipping Norton.

That’s why they buy a Volvo XC40, the car you want to hate — but simply can’t.

MOST READ IN MOTORS

STARS 'N' STRIPES

Lexus isn't quite the five-star ride the Yanks would have us believe

KOREA'S LONG-RANGE MISSLE

Hyundai's all-electric Kona is handsome - and packed with tech

BIG CRUISER BRUISER

Toyota Land Cruiser is bulletproof and is perfect post-apocalyptic car

Merc is Am-Azing

OH Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz? The new AMG E53 if possible. In estate form.

The Germans have just announced the release of the new “half fat” AMG E Classes, in both saloon and estate.